Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-06
Queer Case Of Mistaken
Identity.
REMARKABLE RESEMBLANCE
An Innocent Man Barely Escapes
Lynching at the Hands
of q Mob.

called Maxwell, noteu outlaws, VINO mad
terrorized several Western States, ap.
peared in Durand. Pepin county, Wis
and after committing many depredatons
murdered two brothers named Coleman,
who were seeking their capture. The
excitement over this tragedy was very
great, and as the murderers were well
known, nearly every ablebodied man for
miles around turned out to assist in the
search. For weeks the great forests in
the vicinity of Durand were hunted, but
no trace of the desperadoes was to be
found.
One day, while the search was in
progress, a young man named William
Kuhl, who had been working as farm
hand in Illinois, but who few weeks
before had gone to Minnesota, arrived in
Milwaukee from the north, sick and out
of money. He was on his way to his
old home in Illinois, but fearing that he
could not reach his destination, he ap-
piled to doctor for admission to
hospital. Some delay being necessary,
he concluded to walk about town for
awhile, and when SO doing he was ac-
costed by man who proved later on to
be Deputy Sheriff Greding. This officer
appears to have made up his mind OF
the first sight of Kuhl that he was none
other than Lon Williams, and wishing
to get the heavy reward that was offered
for the apprehension of the outlaw, con.
cluded to work very shrewd game on
the unsuspecting Kuhl. Pretending to
be generously disposed, Greding scraped
an acquaintance with Kuhl and assisted
him into the hospital, where he kept an
eye on him for several days. Then he
appeared one afternoon with a stranger
whom he introduced as doctor, but
who was really keeper from the Joliet
Ill.) Penitentiary. On the pretense
that the 'doctor" had been summoned
in good faith to treat Kuhl, who was
really ill, that worthy made a critical
inspection of the sick mans body and
then engaged in whispered consulta.
tion with Grediug. The result was that
Gredipg stepped up to the bedside and
informed Kuhl that the game was up
aud that he was his prisoner. He had
suspected all along that he was Lon
Williams and now he knew it, as the
"doctor," who had description of Will.
liams taken when that desperate was in
Joliet prison, had fully identified him.
While in the Jail the county authori.
ties, wishing to make sure of their man,
had Kuhl's beard shaved as Lon Will.
liams had been when the picture which
they had of him was taken, and then
calling in a photographer, they had
picture of their prisoner taken. The
two portraits were almost identical, the
resemblance being so striking that Kuhl
himself laughingly admitted. In addi-
tion to facial similarity, there were other
points which were quite as noticeable.
According to the Joliet prison record
Williams had two scars on one of his
thumbs; q scar thsee inches long across
his right hand and two scars upon his
nose. Every one of these marks was
found ON Kuhl. Besides this, the record
stated that one of Williams front teeth
was shorter than the other, giving the
appearance of having been worn Oft, and
Kuhl was found to have just such
tooth.
Being an entire stranger here. and
recognizing the desperate situation that
he was in, Kuhl wrote and telegraphed
to his relatives and friends in Illinois,
but, as he claims that all these missives
were destroyed by his captors, he re.
ceived no replies. At length several
people from Pepin county arrived here
and identified Kuhl as Williams. The
greater part of the population of that
section was still out on the man hunt,
and enough was learned to convince
everybody that if the real or pretty
fair imitation of Lon Williams should
once appear there he would be given
short shrift. Fearing that he was to be
taken into the lumber country, where
death would certainly be meted out to
him, Kuhl again begged that some one
would telegraph to his friends. This
time his request appears to have been
needed, and as fast as express trains
could bring them half dozen promi.
nent men from Central Illinois, who
were we'll acquainted with Kuhl, came
to town. On their arrival they were
surprised to discover that all the Jail
officials denied any knowledge of man
named Kuhl. Believing that something
was wrong. they employed attorneys
and detectives, and soon located their
man in the Jail sweat box, where at
length they succeeded in gaining an
interview with him. The authorities
brought this to speedy end, however,
ana Kuhl's friends made arrangements
to apply the next morning ror a writ of
habeas corpus Z.
That night there was some lively
IL lok. M,l.un,,lr I'd
Durand. The men from the latter
place who had been here had returned
and reported that Williams was here,
and Just then some one in DuraEd hap.
pened to remember that Lon Williams
had only four toes on one foot, the
missing member having been amputated
at Durand some years before by q local
surgeon. This, occurring after the out.
laws release from Joliet prison, was
not, of course, on the record of that
institution. Although the question
would ordinarily have settled the mans
identity, the Sherff's Office did not pro.
pose to let the last hope of big reward
slip away so easily. The keepers of the
unfortunate Kahl made him take off his
shoes aud stockings and they counted
MS Toes biutc auu oRdius 1hcIo WCic
ten of them, and there was no evidence
that any of them had ever been cut at
all. While they were pondering over
the matter q man from Pepin county
who knew that Williams had only nine
toes, having been present when one was
amputated, came in, and on seeing kuhl
said at once that he was Lon Williams
but when he counted his toes he changed
his mind. Then the Milwaukee officers
began to think that there might be some
mistake about the toe. II this man was
Williams in other respects, toe more OF
less ought not to count.
knowing thatl legal proceedings would
be instituted for the release of the
prisoner, and wishing to settle the
matter in their own way, it was decided
by the Milwaukee officials that Kuhl
should be taken to Pepin county without
delay. It lacked but few minutes Of
train time, and preparations for the trip